Energy drinks and RTD coffee are fastest growers in US vending market

Energy drinks and ready to drink coffee are the fasting growing products in the vending market - although they still represent a relatively small chunk of the market - according to a new report from Packaged Facts.

“Demographically, the fast-growing Hispanic population ranks among the prime consumers for food and beverage vending. While Hispanic households comprise 12% of US households and only 10% of U.S. household income, they are responsible for 20% of consumer vending machines/mobile vending spend.”

“The vending industry is being joined by a spate of natural foods-focused vending companies. One such company is H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending, founded on the mission ‘Easy Nutrition Everywhere’. Another is Vend Natural, which features products including Hippie Chips.

More premium options are also springing up, such as cupcake vending business Sprinkles Cupcakes, which “demonstrated thatself-service food vending could equate with not only high quality and freshness but alsobrand prestige”, says the report.

It adds: “And if the new Let's Pizza automated pizza machine, introduced by distributor A1 Concepts, can deliver on its promise, vended food may be up for the challenge…

“These factors, currently lacking in food vending, can help propel the category forward to legitimately compete with competing foodservice alternatives.”

Healthier snacking

And while healthier options are still somewhat lacking in many vending machines, with “arguably no healthy snacks among the top 20 vending best sellers”, consumers still say they want healthier vending, particularly women, says the report.

“Almost half of adult consumers would use vending machines more often if the machines sold more healthy food options.

“Females not only disproportionately support healthy vending options, but female vending non-users are more apt than users to do so, suggesting that a wider variety of healthier vending options could draw women (who are less apt then men to use them) toward vending machines.

“Students and 18-24s, among food and drink vending’s most prevalent users, also disproportionately support the notion of healthy vending options, suggesting that vending operators should experiment with healthier productst o further engage these consumers.

Energy drinks and ready to drink coffee are the fasting growing products in the vending market - although they still represent a relatively small chunk of the market - according to a new report from Packaged Facts.